Method and ice columns system particularly for absorbing heat and radiation

ABSTRACT

A system for producing ice for special purposes in the form of free standing columns. The specific embodiment is for absorbing instantaneously, large quantities of heat and radiation with a minimum rise in temperature.

United States Patent 11 1 Field [451 Apr. 29, 1975 I METHOD AND ICE COLUMNS SYSTEM PARTICULARLY FOR ABSORBING HEAT AND RADIATION [76] Inventor: Crosby Field. 8029 Harbor View Ten. Brooklyn. NY. I I209 [22] Filed: June 5. I974 [21 1 App]. No.: 476.687

Related US. Application Data [62] Division ol- Ser. No. 146.833. April 14. I971.

abandoned.

[52] [1.8. CI. 62/354: 62/66. 176/87 [Sll Int. Cl. F25c 1/ 58] Field of Search i. 63/75. 354. 66: l76/84.

{56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 530.526 l2/l894 Holden 62/354 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [126.666 Ill/i968 United Kingdom [76/87 Prinmr l-Ixamiuvr-William E. Wuyner Auurncy. Agent. or FirmCurtis. Morris & Sufford [57] ABSTRACT A system for producing ice for special purposes in the form of free standing columns. The specific embodiment is for absorbing instantaneously. large quantities of heat and radiation with a minimum rise in temperatlure.

6 Claims. 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEBAPHZQIHTS SHEET 1 BF 2 Fig.4

Fig.

Fig. 5

METHOD AND ICE COLUMNS SYSTEM PARTICULARLY FOR ABSORBING HEAT AND RADIATION This is a division of application Ser. No. 246.833. filed Apr. 24. I972. now abandoned.

This invention relates to the production of ice in special forms and to the ice product. and more in particular to a system for absorbing large quantities of heat and radiation in a nuclear power plant in the event of an explosion. Methods proposed of accomplishing this in the past have involved placing large baskets of ice fragments around the reactor. The present invention is superior in that it is more efficient and dependable and less expensive. and it avoids practical difficulties which have been encountered in the past.

Another object is to provide ice for special purposes. particularly where the water of which the ice is formed contains dissolved or suspended materials and it is desirable to have the same concentrations of such materials in the ice. These and other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out below.

In the drawings:

FIG. I is a somewhat schematic partial top plan view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a modified arrangement;

FIG. 4 is a foreshortened vertical section of one of the columns or pillars of ice in FIGS. I and 2;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional diagrammatic view on the line 6-6 of FIG. 7 showing the system for manufacturing components of the columns or pillars of ice of FIGS. 1 and 3'.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the mode of operation of the system of FIG. 6; and.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to the left-hand portion of FIG. 6 showing another embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIG. I of the drawings, a nuclear reactor is represented at 2 and it. together with all ancillary and auxillary equipment which could possibly be contaminated by radiation or products produced by an accident in the reactor system, are protected by a cylindrical wall or ring 4 of columns or pillars 6 of borated water ice. The ice from which pillars 6 are formed contains borate in a ratio of one to 500 by weight, which is evenly distributed so that the variation between maximum and minimum concentration does not exceed 0.002 percent. Pillars 6 are positioned in rows which extend at a small angle to the radii of the cylindrical wall. Hence. in the event of a nuclear explosion, the heat and radiation as represented by the arrows I will pass directly to the pillars of ice and will be absorbed instantly by the melting of the ice. The uniform distribution of the borate insures the proper absorption of the radiation.

With an installation as represented in FIGS. 1 and 2, the enclosure is maintained at a low temperature and a satisfactory humidity to prevent melting and to reduce sublimation of the ice. As shown in FIG. 4, each pillar is formed by a plurality of cylindrical ice bodies 12, each of which is a cylindrical block of .ice with a central vertical metal rod 14 frozen therein which is threaded at its ends. At the bottom of ice body 12 there is a metal disc 16 threaded onto the bottom end of rod I4. and the bottom rod is threaded into a base plate 18. In manufacturing a pillar. the ice bodies 12 are assembled and the top of each rod is threaded into the bottomend of the rod above it. and a lifting bracket 20 is threaded onto the upper end of the top rod. Brackets 20 may be replaced by screw plugs. and top plate 22 (FIG. 2) rests on the tops of the pillars. and has recesses in which the plugs or brackets are nested.

It is recognized that the ice will tend to sublimate and that the pillars of ice must be replaced from time to time. However. it can be seen that the pillars of ice give continuous protection for long periods of time without attention. Nevertheless. sublimation or slight melting or other factors may cause each body of ice to move down from the disc I6 above it. Accordingly. in the embodiment of FIG. 3. alternate pillars are elevated slightly by cylindrical blocks 24. That has the effect of staggering the discs I6 so as to maintain an effective barrier to the passage of radiation through the cylindrical wall formed by the pillars. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, there is shown a block of ice 26 which is generally cylindrical but which has side cavities 28 extending parallel to the axis. That increases the surface so as to increase the exposure to radiation. The invention contemplates that the pillars of ice may have various crosssectional configurations to provide increased surface areas and other special characteristics.

Referring to FIG. 6. which illustrates the manner of producing ice bodies 12. there is an ice making machine 30 which produces ribbons of ice which are fragmented and fall by gravity downwardly and are shown at 34 in chute 36 under the control of a gate 42. At the bottom of the chute there is a cylinder 38 into which the ice falls and it is then pushed to the left by a piston 40 operated by a hydraulic ram 42. At the left. the ice falls into a cavity 44 of a mold assembly 46 (see also FIG. 7). The mold assembly has four cavities 44 which are identified individually by the suffixes -I, -2. -3 and -4. The mold assembly is rotatably mounted upon a vertical rod 48 and is supported upon a stationary base 50. During operation, the mold assembly is indexed by 90 steps so that each cavity moves successively step by step and occupies each of the cavity positions shown in FIG. 7. When in the position of cavity 44-4 an operator removes from an adjacent conveyor 52 an assembly 54 formed by a rod 14, a disc 16 and an extension rod (see FIG. 6) 56. In the position of cavity 44-] the cavity is filled with a sufficient quantity of ice 34 to provide the ice for one ice body 12. The rod extension 56 is threaded onto the top of its rod I4 and extends above the level of ice in the cavity.

A compactor 58 is positioned directly over the cavity 44-2 and has a plunger 60 which is moved downwardly by a hydraulic ram 62 to compact the ice in the cavity beneath it to form the block of ice 13 of an ice body 12. Plunger 33 has a central bore. and at the top of the bore there is an air escape passageway 66. Hence. plunger 60 forms a compact body of ice in the cavity which adheres to rod 14 and disc 16. In the position of cavity 44-3 the rod extension 56 is removed and the ice body is pushed upwardly out of the cavity by the ram 68 of a hydraulic unit 70. Ram 68 extends through an opening in base and engages the bottom of disc 16. A central cavity in the end of the ram prevents engagement with the end of rod 14. The body of ice is placed upon a conveyor 71 and it is moved to storage or assembled immediately with other ice bodies to form an ice pillar. lllustratively. the ice bodies 12 are one foot in diameter and l foot high and these have a density in excess of 50 pounds per cubic foot.

In the embodiment of FIG. 8. bodies of ice 72 are formed which do not have the central support rod 14 and bottom disc [6. A cavity 74 has a bottom plate 76 which forms a false bottom in the cavity. A central rod 77 is rigidly mounted at its bottom end in the mold assembly 79 so as to form a central hole or bore 81 in the center of the ice body When the cavity is in the position of cavity 44-3 two ejector rods 78 are positioned in alignment with bores 80 in the bottom of the mold assembly. The ejector rods are mounted upon the ram 82 of a hydraulic unit 84 which is operative to push rods 78 upwardly and lift plate 76 with the body of ice thereon to the top of the cavity. The ice is then moved away, the the ejector rods move downwardly and plate 76 returns to the bottom of the cavity. Except as other wise explained. the production of the bodies of ice 72 are produced identically with the bodies of ice 12. They may then be assembled on a continuous rod and used in the same manner as pillars 6.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for producing bodies of ice containing chemicals, the combination of. congealing means for producing frozen ribbons of ice having the chemical evenly distributed therein without a variation such that the maximum concentration is not in excess of 0.002 percent greater than the minimum concentration, compacting means having an open top mold in which fragments of the ribbons of ice are deposited, and means to compact the ice therein to form solid bodies of the ice with a density of the order of 50 pounds per cubic foot. supporting means including a central rod positioned within said mold and adapted to remain in the compressed body of ice. and means to remove the body of ice from the mold.

2. Apparatus as described in claim I which includes a disc attached to said rod and positioned to form a bottom wall to said mold and wherein said means to re move the body of ice from the mold comprises means to exert force upon said disc.

3. Apparatus as described in claim I in which there is a plurality of said molds of identical construction interconnected and positioned around a vertical axis, means to move each of said molds successively to a plurality of stations in which the ice is compressed, compacted and removed from the mold.

4. Apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein said means to remove the body of ice comprises an hydraulic ram positioned to exert an ice removing force axially upwardly from the bottom of the mold against the body of ice.

5. Apparatus as described in claim 4 wherein said means to compact the ice has a compression cylinder with a central bore in alignment with said central rod and providing an air vent.

6. Apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein said disc is attached to said central rod and is adapted to remain attached to the compressed body of ice.

* IF l 

1. An apparatus for producing bodies of ice containing chemicals, the combination of, congealing means for producing frozen ribbons of ice having the chemical evenly distributed therein without a variation such that the maximum concentration is not in excess of 0.002 percent greater than the minimum concentration, compacting means having an open top mold in which fragments of the ribbons of ice are deposited, and means to compact the ice therein to form solid bodies of the ice with a density of the order of 50 pounds per cubic foot, supporting means including a central rod positioned within said mold and adapted to remain in the compressed body of ice, and means to remove the body of ice from the mold.
 2. Apparatus as described in claim 1 which includes a disc attached to said rod and positioned to form a bottom wall to said mold and wherein said means to remove the body of ice from the mold comprises means to exert force upon said disc.
 3. Apparatus as described in claim 1 in which there is a plurality of said molds of identical construction interconnected and positioned around a vertical axis, means to move each of said molds successively to a plurality of stations in which the ice is compressed, compacted and removed from the mold.
 4. Apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein said means to remove the body of ice comprises an hydraulic ram positioned to exert an ice removing force axially upwardly from the bottom of the mold against the body of ice.
 5. Apparatus as described in claim 4 wherein said means to compact the ice has a compression cylinder with a central bore in alignment with said central rod and providing an air vent.
 6. Apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein said disc is attached to said central rod and is adapted to remain attached to the compressed body of ice. 